Verkehrsgesellschaft Vorpommern-Rügen

Verkehrsgesellschaft Vorpommern-Rügen (VVR) is a public transport company operating in the northeast of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Its main office is in Grimmen, with additional depots in Bergen auf Rügen, Stralsund, and Ribnitz-Damgarten. The company was formed through the merger of Stralsund's local transport, Rügener Personennahverkehrs GmbH (RPNV), and companies of the Verkehrsgemeinschaft Nordvorpommern, effective 1 January 2014, by decision of the Vorpommern-Rügen district council. VVR serves the entire Vorpommern-Rügen district, an area of about 3,190 km² with roughly 224,000 inhabitants, including the popular holiday islands of Rügen and Hiddensee. It provides bus services, particularly for school transport. Since 2019, the Rügen-Stralsund region has participated in the national HyLand competition for building a local hydrogen economy, and VVR is intended to be a user of the produced hydrogen. Since 2022, the company has been testing hydrogen-powered buses, with federal funding aimed at acquiring twelve fuel-cell buses by 2025. The state government's initiative to build a comprehensive on-demand bus (Rufbus) system is to be implemented by VVR in Vorpommern-Rügen by 2026, with planning for first Rufbus lines starting in 2021 and deployment planned from June 2024. Under the Mobilitätsoffensive Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, bus lines are upgraded to Regiobus, featuring a fixed timetable with hourly or two-hourly service on weekdays and two-hourly on weekends, with short connections to regional trains and other bus lines.

Verkehrsgesellschaft Vorpommern-Rügen (VVR) was established through the merger of three transport entities: the Stralsund local transport company, Rügener Personennahverkehrs GmbH (RPNV), and the companies of the Verkehrsgemeinschaft Nordvorpommern. The merger was decided by the district council of Vorpommern-Rügen and took effect on 1 January 2014. The company's main office is in Grimmen, with additional depots in Bergen auf Rügen, Stralsund, and Ribnitz-Damgarten. Its service area covers the entire Vorpommern-Rügen district, which was created in the 2011 district reform, spanning approximately 3,190 km² with about 224,000 residents. This includes the islands of Rügen and Hiddensee, where VVR operates bus services, particularly for schoolchildren. In 2019, the Rügen-Stralsund region began participating in the national HyLand competition to develop a local hydrogen economy, with VVR designated as a user of the hydrogen produced. Since 2022, VVR has been testing hydrogen-powered buses, and federal funding from the project is intended to support the acquisition of twelve fuel-cell buses by 2025. Additionally, the state government's initiative to establish a comprehensive on-demand bus (Rufbus) system across Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is to be implemented by VVR in Vorpommern-Rügen by 2026. Planning for the first Rufbus lines began in 2021, with deployment planned from June 2024. Under the Mobilitätsoffensive Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, bus lines are being upgraded to Regiobus, which features a fixed timetable with hourly or two-hourly service on weekdays and two-hourly service on weekends, along with short connections to regional trains and other bus lines.

• Merger of Stralsund local transport, RPNV, and Verkehrsgemeinschaft Nordvorpommern companies to form VVR, effective 1 January 2014.

• Rügen-Stralsund region begins participation in the national HyLand competition for a local hydrogen economy, with VVR as intended hydrogen user.

• VVR begins testing hydrogen-powered buses.

• Planning for first Rufbus lines begins.

• Planned deployment of first Rufbus lines from June 2024.

• Planned acquisition of twelve fuel-cell buses by 2025 with federal funding.

• Planned implementation of comprehensive Rufbus system in Vorpommern-Rügen by 2026.

Regional public transport provider for the Vorpommern-Rügen district, focusing on bus services including school transport and innovative mobility solutions such as hydrogen buses and on-demand services.

• Local bus services

  Bus services across the Vorpommern-Rügen district, including school transport.

• Regiobus

  Upgraded bus lines with fixed timetable, hourly or two-hourly on weekdays and two-hourly on weekends, with short connections to regional trains and other bus lines.

• Rufbus (on-demand bus)

  On-demand bus system to be implemented by VVR in Vorpommern-Rügen by 2026.

• Hydrogen fuel-cell buses

  Hydrogen-powered buses tested since 2022, with plans to acquire twelve by 2025.

1. 1Verkehrsgesellschaft Vorpommern-Rügen - Wikipediade.wikipedia.org
2. 2Verkehrsgesellschaft Vorpommern-Rügen - Wikidatawikidata.org